Penalty flags could be flying at Bills-Raiders with Ed Hochuli's crew in town

Ed Hochuli brings his officiating crew – and his large arms – to Buffalo on Sunday for the Bills game against the Oakland Raiders. He last worked a Bills game in December 2015, when the Bills lost to the Eagles 23-20.

Interestingly, Hochuli’s crew is among the tops in the NFL in penalties called per game heading into Week 8 at 16.8. The league average is 13.8.

Hochuli’s crew is averaging 153 yards per game in penalties; the league average is 117 yards per game.

Both are by far the highest average of Hochuli’s career. He has been a referee since 2001.

Another quirky stat: 58.33 percent of the penalties have been against the home team. The league average is 47 percent.

After struggling with penalties early in the preseason, the Bills have been among the league’s best. They average 6.3 penalties per game, which is ranked No. 9, and 54 yards per game, which is ranked No. 7.